No Kind of Bending
by Razamataz22
Summary: In a world where dragons were slain for sport, those with the title of Dragon Slayer appear as if by magic. But will their presence be a hindrance or a blessing for the Avatar in his quest to put a stop to the Fire Lord?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**...**

To say the light that had encompassed Ba Sing Se that day was blinding would have been an understatement. All across town people were forced to look away as a flash of the purest white struck the middle of town, dead in the centre of the upper ring where the royal palace was located. Members of the Royal Guard who had been unfortunate enough to be looking in the general direction before the light struck cried out in pain as if their eyes were on fire. While their blindness was only temporary, so was the light and as quickly as it had appeared it had vanished. Yet it hadn't only been in the middle of the Earth Kingdom's greatest stronghold had such an occurrence happened. In three other distinct locations similar beams of light had burst from the sky only to vanish moments later.

Guru Pathik had been meditating in the forest surrounding the Eastern Air Temple, the flying bison Appa nothing more than a speck in the distance with the note for Aang to receive training with the enlightened elder. Pathik would have been oblivious to the light's presence had the birds that had been resting on his shoulders and hands not flown off simultaneously, squawks of fear present in their previously sing-song chirps. Opening his eyes, it took him a few moments to get out of his meditative pose to go inspect what all the commotion was about. To say he was surprised to find a young girl with blue hair barely alive would have been an understatement.

The other two lights had fallen across the land in distant and far off places but for the soldiers of the Earth King's Royal Guard as they charged at the person who had entered such a highly fortified structure they could not give a second thought. As they went to work apprehending what they could only deem as a criminal, Long Feng walked towards the commotion with a calm composure that he had upon his face at all times with two Dai Li agents walking in time behind him. While he himself hadn't seen the light at the time it had only taken him seconds to realise that something was amiss and it was his duty to ensure that the cultural behaviour of the city remained intact and that such a phenomenon would not occur again.

"What happened here?" asked Long Feng as he approached the guards who held the one responsible. In moments Long Feng had sized up the invader, although giving him such a title was proper at this stage he would delve deeper into the subject with his Dai Li agents.

"He appeared out of nowhere in a blinding light," explained a guard who held the intruders arms behind his back while several other soldiers stood nearby prepared to attack if the need arose. "He looks like he's been in a fight of sorts, he needs urgent medical attention."

Long Feng's eyes tinted slightly as he looked at the wounds the guard had spoken of. Indeed it looked like this man had been in a grandiose fight, scratches and bruises covered his body and only a handful had been covered by bandages that had gone red with blood; fresh blood at that. He wore white pants and a sleeveless waistcoat with a golden trim that resembled nothing that he knew of from the Elemental Nations. Upon his arm was a red insignia, once more he was confused as to what it truly meant but knew that the answers that he sought would come in time. One of the most interesting points about the boy however was the colour of his hair; somehow the pink spiky locks seemed to indicate a wild side to the boy's personality even if he hadn't yet said a word.

"Make note of the tattoo he has on his arm and be wary of anybody who has similar markings as they may be part of a tribe or clan," instructed Long Feng, the guards immediately carving the symbol into a stone tablet with their bending abilities. "Send word to the residents that everything is fine and that the light they witnessed was nothing more than a natural phenomenon. The Dai Li and I will take this trespasser to a safe location to interrogate myself."

"As you command," said the guardsmen as they released the pink haired boy into the custody of the Dai Li agents. During the transition however was when the pink haired teen slowly came back to consciousness, his eyes fluttering open to see a bunch of faces he knew nothing about.

"What...where am I?" he asked as he found his voice.

"Look, he's waking up," said one of the guards finding it necessary to point out the obvious.

"Come with me and we will get to the bottom of this mess, any act of violence will see you arrested as an enemy of the state," declared Long Feng, knowing that the law would be in his favour due to the fact that willingly or not this teen had invaded the Emperor's private grounds.

"And why should I trust you?" asked the teen as he found the strength to stand on his own two feet despite the amount of damage he had taken.

"Are you threatening the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se?" questioned Long Feng knowing he was perfectly safe with the members of the Royal Guard along with two of his personal guard protecting him.

"I don't care if you're a prince or a king, if you don't tell me where I am or where my friends are I will beat you senseless," threatened the pink haired boy as he clenched his fists. In the palms of his hands he could still feel the warmth of Lucy and Erza who had been holding his hands only moments ago, before everything felt like a burning fire in a white light.

"Arrest him for threatening an official of Ba Sing Se!" commanded Long Feng, pointing an accusing finger at the perpetrator. Without hesitation, his Dai Li agents did their best to bind his hands with the gloves of stone that covered their hands, only to be punched squarely in the face before they had even had a chance to lock his hands in place. As they reeled back in pain, the teen wasted no time in following up on his assault, taking out every guard surrounding him despite the aches and pains that were created with every movement. Driving his knee into the midriff of a single guard, his instincts alerted him of danger as he turned his head to see a stone tablet soaring in his direction, catching him squarely in the chest and sending him bouncing across the tiled floor several feet before he found his feet as he skidded to a halt. Looking up he found twin tablets heading in his direction. Sidestepping out of the way of the first tablet, a swing of his right fist destroyed the second slab of stone, turning it into pebbles and debris which scattered across the floor.

From his position, Long Feng could see the focus and drive within this person's eyes. This was somebody who had been fighting since he was young and while it seemed he didn't have any bending qualities the fact that he could destroy solid stone with his hands alone told him that this was a fighter who demanded respect. With a hand signal, six more members of the Dai Li stormed the battlefield, slamming their feet into the ground as they raised their hands to lift a pillar of stone up from beneath their enemy's feet. As he climbed higher and higher into the air, there was no sign of surprise written across his face as the eye contact with he and Long Feng was broken as the altitude grew higher and higher before coming to a stop several stories above the ground.

"How do you wish us to proceed?" asked one of the royal guards as he got to Long Feng's side. "We could let the bastard rot up there for several hours, weaken his morale?"

Long Feng opened his mouth to respond but before he could respond their foe leapt into action, leaping high into the air and into the line of the sun, causing all of the members of the Earth Kingdom who had been fighting to shield their eyes. As they did their best to imagine what the pink haired boy had planned, none could suppress their surprise as when their body descended back towards the pillar they drove their fist dead into the centre of the stone. For several moments nothing happened before a definitive crack echoed across the pavilion before the stone shattered into hundreds of chunks that crashed to the ground forcing the guards and Dai Li to leap away in order to not get hit by the debris. As the smoke cleared they saw that the pink haired teenager was standing in the centre of them, a determined look still imprinted on his face.

"Just who are you?" asked Long Feng, wondering just who this demon of a boy was.

"Like you need to know," answered the citizen of Earthland as he wiped a bit of blood from his lips with the back of his hands. While he still had a great deal of his physical strength with him, the battle in Tenroujima including the one sided fight against Acnologia had left him with nearly no magical power in his system. That didn't matter now however as he charged forward, intent on finding his friends the only way he knew how. For every enemy he knocked out several more took their place until he found himself utterly surrounded as more and more blows rained upon his body, unable to mount a feasible defence against everything that was coming his way.

Minutes passed as he succumbed to the damage that had been dealt and as Long Feng stepped forward the bloodied mess beneath him hardly represented the fighting force it had earlier. "Should we lock him in the dungeons?" asked one of the royal guards.

"No, leave him to the Dai Li and myself," instructed Long Feng, the royal guards bowing their heads in understanding before returning to their posts, many with a number of fractured ribs and bruising across their body that they would later need to get checked on at the infirmary. With the teen in secure custody by the Dai Li agents, Long Feng gave the simple instructions for his men to do with the pink haired teen. "Take him to Lake Laogai, I don't want him to remember anything of his past. He will become a great asset if we play our cards right."

"Understood," said the Dai Li agents in unison as several went about taking the pink haired brawler to their secret underwater prison while the others returned to their posts. Long Feng took several strides in thought as he walked towards the palace, knowing that he would have to take drastic measures to ensure that the boy remained his puppet, with a strong will like his there was no telling how long it would take for his mind to become docile. Yet these thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as he realised he needed to come up with a viable excuse to explain to the Earth King why a good number of his loyal subordinates were wounded without making the head of the country panic.

...

Several days later, the Avatar would arrive in Ba Sing Se with his friends looking for their sky bison Appa. Not only that but Zuko and his grandfather Iroh, exiled royalty from the Fire Nation had managed to sneak into the city by posing as refugees. Yet none of these people meant anything to the pink haired teen who walked around the slums of the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. Walking past a market vendor, he hears the sound of glass shattering followed by angry ranting. He paused momentarily in the middle of the street, his head turning towards the commotion and for some reason he found himself walking towards it before once again coming to a stop down an alleyway.

Why had he decided to go towards trouble instead of ignoring it like everybody else, or had they not actually heard it? As for he himself, it wasn't like he had anything in particular to do today, so was it normal to go looking for some kind of entertainment? "Give me your money pal!" threatened a voice from nearby causing the teen to turn his head again, this time to see himself staring down a mugger who brandished a knife in his hand.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," said the teen as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Give me your money and there won't be any trouble," said the mugger as he edged closer to where the pink haired boy stood, the knife still held at chest height.

"If I had any money, don't you think I would've given it to you by now," said the teen as if it would have been the obvious response for somebody holding a knife in their direction.

"Well...umm...give me that scarf of yours, that'll sell..." the mugger had no time to finish his sentence as the knife was kicked out of his hand with a single motion before the teen's forearm pushed him by his neck against the wall.

"Nobody will take me scarf away from me," growled the teen through a clenched jaw, only a couple of seconds passing before he realised what he was doing before backing away, the would be mugger dropping to the floor holding his throat as he gasped for breath. The pink haired boy looked at his hands, realising that he had merely acted without thought just from the idea that his scarf would be taken away from him.

"Now now, what have we here?" asked an elderly voice as they walked down the alleyway. Turning his head once more, he found a wise looking man with a bold head walking towards the pair. "A young pair of misfits it seems."

The man who had once held the knife took this opportunity of distraction to get to his feet and rush out into the street, desperate to get away from the pink haired menace. "Seems it's just me now," said the teen.

"Your fighting skills were most impressive just then, even if you do not realise it," said the man as he walked forward, his green cloak swaying with the breeze.

"Well it's not like fighting's going to get food into my stomach," said the pink haired boy as his stomach rumbled fiercely. Coming to think of the situation, he couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten.

"If you would help an old man to a spot where he could mourn the death of someone precious to him, I'm sure there could be something in it for you," offered the elderly man.

"Really old dude, that would be great," said the pink haired teen as he rallied at the thought of getting something into his stomach.

"Do you have a name to which I might call you?" asked the gentlemen as he calmed down the teen.

"Natsu, Natsu Dragneel."

...

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**This story had been in my mind for a while now and with a recent challenge I heard of from one of my mates at Team Dragon Star, I thought I would give it a go.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Fairy Tail**

**...**

The former prince of the fire nation looked over what he had cooked for dinner, his nose twisting in disgust at the smell that came from his dish. Dropping a ladle into the concoction, he brought a few drops of the broth to his lips in the hope that it tasted better than it smelt. Sadly for him it failed in that regard as he struggled to prevent himself from spitting it back into the rest of the mixture. Placing the ladle to the side, Zuko ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated at himself for creating such a monstrosity on this day of all days.

He knew what this day meant for his uncle and Zuko felt that the right thing to do would be for him to do something for the family member who had been with him throughout his exile. Every year on this day Iroh had sought solitude above all else, using the day to mourn the death of his son which Zuko believed was a reasonable response for the loss of someone precious. Even though he never mentioned it to anyone, he too found his own little ways to remember the one he had held so dear many years earlier on the day they had vanished.

Looking into the stew he had attempted to make, he saw several raw vegetables float to the surface alongside a black piece of meat and knew that giving something like this to his uncle wouldn't really suit the man. As he picked up the pot to toss the contents off the balcony, he figured that making tea for his uncle would be much easier considering he had already done it once before when Iroh was injured and the seasoned veteran had complimented him on a job well done. Yet before the scarred teen could deposit the food to the floor below he stopped in his tracks as the door to the apartment swung open.

"Damn something smells good," said Natsu as he walked through the door with Iroh by his side.

"You have a good nose to smell a dish from this distance," complimented the wise man as he closed the door behind him. Zuko had no real clue as to who this new person was but his mind was in overdrive as he realised he needed to ditch the devastation of a meal as soon as he could before anybody tasted it. Suddenly he realised that the solution was so simple as he let go of the pot, the metal container crashing to the floor and spilling the contents in all directions. "Nephew, what have you done?"

"Sorry uncle, you guys startled me is all," said Zuko as he went about clearing the mess, knowing though that he had managed to save the day somewhat.

"I'm sorry my friend, it seems as if we gave Lee a scare with your entrance," said Iroh, recalling that Zuko was using an alternate name during his journey as to avoid suspicion. "I guess we will have to go out to the streets and find a vendor who is still operating at this late hour, it would take a while longer for another meal to be prepared."

"I can wait, I'm just going to have a light snack is all," said Natsu as he began to inhale deeply. For a moment both Iroh and Zuko looked to the pink haired teenager in confusion before they were astonished as the flames that had been dancing upon the stovetop soared through the air and into Natsu's mouth. Barely a second had passed before all the fire had been devoured and Natsu patted his stomach in relief; while it wasn't the meal he was after it was as good a place as any to start.

"Who are you!" demanded Zuko as he got to his feet, placing his hands in a fighting position in case this newcomer decided to attack them. While Iroh's reaction wasn't as obvious it was clear that this boy was something special, never in all his life had he heard of a firebender who could eat flames.

"I don't know," said Natsu solemnly, his usually positive demeanour fading for the time being as Iroh walked forward and turned the gas off on the stove. "All I know is my name, that's about it."

"Natsu, take a seat and I'll make us some tea while my nephew finds something for us to eat," said Iroh as he directed Natsu to a rundown sofa. "Perhaps some of that curry from last night will do well reheated."

Listening to his uncle's orders, Zuko lowered his arms but kept his guard up about him as he went to the fridge, rarely taking his eyes off of the pink haired teen. That firebending that he had done was unlike anything he had ever seen; manipulation of surrounding flames was not a common practice in itself, the dangers of such a thing was too high. The eating of flames however was absurd, so much as a shred of live flame going down the throat would cause unbelievable pain yet this person roughly his own age seemed as if he had been doing it his entire life as if it were a circus trick.

"Eating flames is not something I have seen before," said Iroh as he sat beside Natsu, pouring a cup of freshly made tea in front of the fellow firebender. For a moment Iroh looked out the window for any indication that somebody had been watching and had seen the firebending and in doing so jeopardized his and his nephew's safety. Coming to realise that if something had been seen it would have already been reported or be on the process of being reported, he gave a rough sigh as he figured that they would deal with it when the time came. "Has this been something you have been able to do throughout your entire life?"

"Like I said before, I don't actually remember that much," said Natsu as he raised the tea to his lips, drinking the brew within the cup. "I just remember waking up in the middle of the city, as if from a dream of some kind."

"Amnesia?" asked Zuko as he closed the curtains for the night before he sat down on the chair opposite the sofa, placing the reheated curry on the table.

"So it seems," said Iroh as he passed a bowl of the curry to Natsu, the pink haired teen ignoring the chopsticks laid before him preferring to simply grab chunks of the hot food and shove it into his mouth. Zuko looked on with a sense of disgust while Iroh looked on in mild amusement, wondering if he was ever in such a state of starvation he would do the same thing.

"Do you not feel heat at all?" asked Zuko as he watched Natsu eat, while the curry itself was heated to reasonable temperatures, so had the bowl which was quite hot in itself.

"Not really," said Natsu as he put the bowl down, the contents all having been eaten within a few moments. "I don't know why I can do these sort of things or why, but somehow I believe it's connected to this."

Zuko and Iroh looked at the insignia that Natsu had pointed to, the red emblem tattooed upon his shoulder. "Little young for tattoos," commented Zuko.

"This looks like no ordinary tattoo," analysed Iroh as he looked deeper into the emblem. "This isn't like some tattoo that members of gangs get, those depict something fiercer and more dangerous as to try and prove that they are something to be feared."

"So what does this one mean?" asked Natsu.

"Give an old man some time," mumbled Iroh as he ran his fingers over specific points. "I don't know whether I'm interpreting this right but it seems to be broken down into three parts."

"How do you figure that uncle?" asked Zuko.

"Years of Pai Sho give a man plenty of time to think about the unknown," said Iroh with a light chuckle. "This top part represents a head of some description and if we go from that we can assume that this tattoo is actually representative of a creature rather than just a random symbol."

"What kind of creature looks like that?" asked Zuko as Natsu remained silent on the situation, focusing intently on what Iroh was saying.

"Not a creature of this world I imagine," said Iroh. "I think this symbol represents something from fiction and mythology."

"A spirit?"

"Perhaps," mused Iroh as his finger travelled down to the three points that weren't as sharply drawn as the other two points on the tattoo. "These things here look like wings of some description, three sets of wings for fast movement and transport, or for unparalleled agility in the evasion of danger."

"You can see all this just in a tattoo?" asked Natsu, finally finding his voice.

A satisfactory sound of accomplishment escaped the closed lips of Iroh as he finally came to the last two parts of the symbol that had him most confused. "Here is where it gets difficult," he acknowledged. "The one underneath the wings we can assume is a tail of some description, one for self defence if the barbed end is anything to go by. This other one though could either represent legs or a weapon, a lance or spear perhaps."

"So what do you make of it all together?" asked Zuko finding that he had become entranced with his uncle's work.

"Well from what I can tell, if the wings had been drawn more fiercely I would have thought that this could have represented a dragon," said Iroh. "Yet dragon symbols are almost forever drawn with bat like wings and razor sharp claws, plus because they are so popular it wouldn't be difficult to find a dragon symbol that was more detailed than this. No, I believe this is of something much more petite, perhaps a pixie or a fairy."

At the mention of Fairy, Natsu's eyes went wide as if a part of him was beginning to remember some things but this went unnoticed by the two members of the royal family as Zuko believed he had a counter argument with his uncle. "A fairy was a symbol of peace and nature, why would a gang of some sort want a creature of something so timid as their calling card."

"I was just saying my opinion nephew, I don't know as to whether or not that I am accurate in my theory," said Iroh as he picked up his cup, lifting the tea to his lips.

"Anyways, even if it was a fairy, why would a fairy's tail look like a spear?" asked Zuko.

"Do fairies really have tails, do they even exist," said Natsu, repeating words he had heard only as a mere child, looking on in awe at the building that would soon become his home. Standing up, his legs bumped the table and knocked over the remnants of his tea but it didn't matter as he slammed his fist into his palm. "Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail?" repeated Zuko and Iroh in synchronicity, the title meaning nothing to either of the two firebenders. Before either of them could say another word Natsu's fist caught on fire, startling both of the members of the royal family to the fact that this bender had been able to summon fire without any sort of bending style at all, as if it were by magic.

"I'm going to go kick some ass, then I'm going to find my friends!" said Natsu as he marched his way towards the door only for Iroh to grab him by the wrist.

"I don't know what airy Tail is or what it means but I must warn you of the dangers of showing your ability like that," said Iroh in a hushed tone. "This kingdom has been at war with firebenders for several generations. If somebody walks around with his fists on fire they will begin to panic and it would only be a matter of minutes before you have an entire army coming after you!"

"Let them come," said Natsu as he tried to tear his arm away from Iroh but the old man's grip was strong and didn't break.

"I saw my son die in battle, I will not see you die over some petty vengeance!" declared Iroh as he got to his feet, anger now residing in the tone of his voice. Zuko looked on astonished at his uncle, never before had he seen him get so riled up and it frightened him.

"Then what will you have me do?" asked Natsu as he looked Iroh in the eyes.

"You said you would find your friends, they could be anywhere across the elemental nations," said Iroh as he began to calm down, Natsu calming down alongside him much to the elder man's happiness. He knew what dangers could potentially befall he and Zuko if Natsu was seen leaving their apartment building with his hands ablaze and in no way did that not spell trouble. "It will take some time and effort but through your friendship you will be reconnected with those who you hold dear to your heart. Don't let them come to find you and only see a tombstone with your name on it."

For nearly a minute none of the three occupants of the room made a sound as Natsu stared at Iroh, the words seeping in as the elderly man let go of his grip on Natsu's arm. "Thank you for the meal," said Natsu as he turned and walked out the door, gently closing it behind him.

"Uncle?" said Zuko, curious to know what his relative was thinking.

"It won't be the last time we have heard of Natsu Dragneel," said Iroh as he stretched his back. "All this commotion has worn me out; I believe it is time for me to rest before work tomorrow." Zuko huffed in annoyance as Iroh went into the bedroom to rest before the next day of work. Getting up and opening the curtain slightly, he could just see Natsu walking down the alleyway that lead away from their home and he couldn't help but feel as if nothing had been answered and only more questions were now in place. Deciding to leave his queries for another day, Zuko closed the curtain once more before looking at the mess that Natsu had created and realising that it would have to be him who would have to clean it up.

...

"Thank the spirits I managed to find the homes for all those cats," said Aang as he walked through the streets of the Lower Ring. He knew that he could easily fly home with his skills but wasn't fazed at the moment; feeling rather exhausted after his days efforts. Creating the zoo was a worthwhile feat and he was proud of it, but as the zookeeper had said it would probably be best if he stuck to saving people from now on.

He came to a sudden halt as he bumped into someone firmly enough that he was nearly bowled over by his actions. "Sorry," he said apologetically.

"Na don't worry it was my fault," said Natsu, rubbing the back of his head.

"Did you always have pink hair?" asked Aang before covering his mouth, only realising after he had said it how rude it was of him to speak like that.

"Yes," replied Natsu allowing Aang to breathe a sigh of relief to the fact that he hadn't insulted this boy a few years older than himself. "Were you always bold?"

"Actually I shave regularly," declared Aang as he rubbed the top of his head. "It was kind of a tradition we had."

"Like the tattoos covering your body?" asked Natsu.

"Actually these tattoos represent the fact that I have become an airbending master," explained Aang.

"Airbending?" repeated Natsu, unsure what Aang was talking about.

"Well you won't actually see anybody else with these tattoos as I'm the last of my people," said Aang in a soft tone.

"Don't worry kid, I know what it's like to lose people precious to you," said Natsu trying to be reassuring. "My dad left me when I was only a child, this scarf was the only thing he left for me apart from what he taught me. I will find him one day."

"Did your father leave for war or something?" asked Aang.

"Not that I know of, he was a dragon so I reckon I would have heard if there was a fight between dragons," said Natsu nonchalantly. When he got no response he looked to Aang to find that the boy's mouth had dropped significantly in shock. "Was it something I said?" asked Natsu as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

...

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Kanotari: Thank you for the suggestion but like you say, our time limit is very small. You made one very big assumption however, and that was that two of the other people who have jumped worlds are Lucy and Erza. I'm intrigued as to why you say these two as opposed to anybody else that it could be.**

**Next chapter should be out in a couple days at most, earliest...20 hours or so.**

**Peace**


	3. Chapter 3

"Twinkle Toes is back," said Toph as she lay upon the ground, a piece of straw dangling between her teeth.

"About time," said Sokka who was clearly frustrated from the absence of the last airbender.

"Says you," huffed Katara who had been frustrated when Sokka had only come in roughly half an hour earlier. Sokka paid it no attention and despite having been kicked out, he wouldn't mind revisiting the poetry club at a later date.

"I'm not sure if you guys are going to like this, but it feels like Twinkle Toes has brought a friend," said Toph as she sat up.

"A friend?" repeated Katara, wondering if Aang had just randomly bumped into some stranger and decided to bring him home for the night. As the door to the house swung open, she could immediately see that this was the case.

"Hey guys this is Natsu," introduced Aang as both he and the son of a dragon entered the house, being mindful to close the door behind them.

"Look at that hair!" exclaimed Sokka as he struggled to not burst into laughter before Katara slapped him behind the head for being so disrespectful.

"Comes from the guy who has his hair in a ponytail," retorted Natsu as he smiled at the thought of a brawl occurring.

"Wait, Sokka has a ponytail!" exclaimed Toph as she sat up, giggling slightly at this revelation.

"It's not a ponytail, it's a warriors knot," stated Sokka.

"Sorry about my brother," apologised Katara. "He can get a bit moody at times."

"I do not," claimed Sokka but nobody really paid attention to him.

"So why you here?" asked Toph as she got to her feet, turning her body in the direction where the newcomer was.

"I bumped into him earlier," explained Aang as Momo flew in through the window and landed on the airbenders shoulder. "He told me his background I had to bring him here to meet you guys."

"Aang you can't just keep bringing random people into our lives," complained Sokka.

"But he's even more interesting than me," said Aang waving his arms slightly in excitement.

"I find that hard to believe Twinkle Toes," said Toph as she picked her nose.

"It's true," said Aang.

"Alright then Natsu, if that even is your real name, what's this background that Aang keeps on going about," said Sokka.

"What were we talking about?" asked Natsu, his mind having completely lost track of the conversation. He knew he was probably wasting time staying with these guys when he should have been finding his friends but there was something about the bald headed kid that he couldn't shake off.

"Why did Aang bring you here?" asked Katara, stepping before her brother lost his cool, provided he had any to start with.

"He seemed impressed that my dad's a dragon," said Natsu with a shrug of the shoulders. Much like Aang had earlier, Sokka's mouth gaped wide as this new information seeped in. Katara was trying to come up with a rational explanation since to the best of her knowledge the dragons had been wiped out decades earlier. Toph however, being taught by badger-moles, didn't really see the real excitement in this story although she couldn't help but wonder if this dragon had taught him anything worthwhile.

"Dragon's are extinct," said Katara.

"You kidding, I fought one a couple of days ago," said Natsu still reeling from the battle.

"You fought a dragon!" exclaimed Aang, believing every word that came out of the pink haired teen's mouth.

"You should be dead!" said Sokka finding himself getting sucked up into the story.

"I thought I was," said Natsu, his voice becoming soft as he recalled the single moment where his reality became fantasy. He hadn't really taken the time to think about it but how did he survive the blast? Then there was the scenario that he feared the most; how many other of his guild mates had survived the blast?

"If there had been a dragon attack of some kind, we would have heard about it by now," said Katara still trying to be logical.

"That's the other thing, we were attacked on an island but I wake up here," said Natsu trying to piece the information together. "I don't even know where here is yet."

"Ba Sing Se, worst city ever," said Toph as she started to lose interest.

"Never heard of it," said Natsu.

"How could you not have heard of it?" questioned Sokka as he snapped back to his usual self. "This is the kingdom that has stood tall against the invasion from the Fire Nation since the war began!"

"I was talking with a couple people earlier and they mentioned something about a nation, not sure if it was earth or fire but I've never heard of any of these places," said Natsu. "Where abouts in Earthland are we?"

"I'm starting to like this guy," said Toph over to the side, noticing the incredible lack of care for proper grammar in his speech.

"Earthland?" repeated Sokka, the term having no meaning as far as he knew.

"Could it be that you're not from here?" asked Katara to herself more than anything.

"Wait, do you mean here as in the afterlife or something?" asked Natsu, wondering whether or not the blast from Acnologia had killed him and this was his challenge to get into the afterlife.

"We're still alive," claimed Sokka slamming his fist onto his chest as if to show that he was indeed made of flesh and bone.

"What I meant, was that I think this fight with a dragon might have sent you to another world," said Katara still trying to come up with a logical explanation.

"Another world!" exclaimed Natsu.

"But the only two worlds are this one and the spirit world," said Sokka.

"As far as we know, maybe I can talk to the spirits later and find out just what happened," said Aang.

"What kind of magic allows you to talk with spirits?" asked Natsu.

"He's the Avatar, it's his responsibility to keep balance between the mortal world and the spirit world," explained Katara.

"Avatar?" repeated Natsu, the tone of his voice telling the others that he had no real idea what the term meant.

"Definitely from another world," said Sokka doing a complete one eighty in his belief on the matter.

"Before you go do your Avatar thing, we've got company," said Toph as she turned towards the door for it to open only a couple of seconds later.

"Good evening," said the man who was known by everybody in the building.

"Long Feng, what a pleasant surprise," said Katara feigning a good mood as to not anger one of the most politically powerful men in the kingdom.

"I am sorry for the intrusion at this late hour," said Long Feng apologetically, two Dai Li guards by his side while several more watched carefully from secure locations, nearly all of them aware of what the pink haired teen was capable. "However when my men informed me that the Avatar had brought a civilian of the lower ring into the upper ring I thought it proper of me to restore the fact that people of lower society are not permitted up here."

"But he's my guest," said Aang but before he could continue Natsu put out his arm as if instructing the young boy to remain silent in this situation.

"It's alright, I was just leaving," said Natsu as he turned to face the man who had had him brainwashed.

"I am glad to know that you believe in maintaining the civil structure of Ba Sing Se," said Long Feng as Natsu started walking towards him.

"You know, that old guy told me not to get into trouble but seeing your face again makes me all fired up," said Natsu as he clenched his fist.

"I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting before," said Long Feng, still believing that Natsu was still under the effects that had been put in place back at Lake Laogai.

"Don't remember, it was only a few days ago," said Natsu as he brought his fist to face height before slamming it into an open palm.

"Cease him," instructed Long Feng, sending his two warriors forward. They hadn't gotten too far past the doorframe before Natsu breathed in deeply.

"Karyū no Hōkō!" he shouted before a stream of fire burst forth from his lips, engulfing the oncoming Dai Li. Only through sheer luck had Long Feng managed to dive out of the way in time as the stream of fire exploded out the doorway and into the street.

From his position, Natsu could see the Dai Li agents appear on the street and as he cracked his knuckles he was ready to unleash a world of pain upon these people. Running out the door, a vicious grin spread across his face as he looked forward to getting some payback to the green clad soldiers. As for the Avatar and his friends, three of them stood there gobsmacked at what had just happened while Toph stood by confused somewhat by what had just occurred.

"Did I miss something?" she asked wondering what the others had seen.

...

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Smaller chapter I know but I'm on a time limit (Kanotari knows what I'm talking about) so I'm just going to keep pumping out these chapters as quickly as I can.**

**Artemide86: As far as I know, once brainwashed the people are released back onto the streets, there is no evidence to provide that this doesn't occur. I might be wrong and if so I am sorry.**

**Peace**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Fairy Tail**

**...**

All across the Upper Ring, people panicked as they looked out their windows to see Earth and Fire dance through the night sky and while it was visually spectacular it was also highly dangerous. One civilian who had been watching the fight had to leap for cover as a wayward tablet shattered his window and sent shards of glass everywhere. "We have to get these people to safety," said Katara as she looked at the carnage that was slowly spreading.

"I know that we got off on the wrong foot and that you do not trust me," said Long Feng making those nearby remember that he was still on the porch. "But my responsibility is to the people of Ba Sing Se and they are currently in danger. The Dai Li and I can escort the people to safety as we are great in number but I need you four to distract this villain as long as possible before we can help."

"Leave it to us," said Sokka boldly which caused Toph to turn his head towards him before shrugging nonchalantly. Part of her knew that since the numbers were in their advantage that Sokka was a lot more confident then what he would be had he been alone in the same situation.

"Collatoral damage is fine, yes?" Toph asked of Long Feng.

"If possible, keep it to a minimum," said Long Feng. "I would like to keep the heritage that these buildings are a part of but I am aware that in circumstances like this nothing is safe. Even if it is one opponent we have fought him before and while he hadn't shown any firebending skills at the time he was still able to incapacitate a good number of the Dai Li and even more of the Royal Guard. If possible try and draw him away from the Palace, I can't imagine anything worse."

"Got it," said Sokka as he leapt forward, Toph by his side. As for Aang, the monk hadn't moved since having watched the fight first take place. His eyes were watching and analysing the movements that Natsu showed and had he known about his mastery of firebending beforehand he may even have been tempted to ask him to be his teacher. As he watched however it was clear that his firebending was unique and required more brute force than the use of his element. Unlike Zuko and Azula whom they had fought on multiple occasions along with the hordes of nameless soldiers, Natsu fought in a completely different manner.

"Come on Aang," said Katara as she grabbed Aang's wrist snapping him back into the moment.

"Right," said Aang as he decided to think about Natsu's fighting style later as he realised that he would be going against the style in only a few moments. As one, both he and Katara jumped forward to join the battle as Long Feng started rallying Dai Li to his side to start leading the citizens of the Upper Ring outside of the immediate danger zone.

...

In comparison to the first time the Dai Li and Natsu had clashed, Natsu wasn't just fighting on equal terms anymore, but rather in a league well beyond what the Dai Li were capable of at the moment. Although Natsu couldn't call any of his opponents bad but he could see from a number of them that they were carrying wounds that he had delivered to them only a few days earlier. Even more than that however was their fear; they had seen what he was capable of without his fists burning and without their reserves able to reach them in a short amount of time they knew it was them against the flame without any reinforcements. Well any reinforcements except for a small select group of benders and a young water tribe warrior.

As Natsu held a man in one hand, his other fist poised to break the Dai Li agent's nose Natsu was knocked forward viciously as a metallic boomerang caught him directly in the back of the head. "The hell!" he shouted as he turned around, dropping the Dai Li agent in the process.

"There's more where that came from," boasted Sokka as the boomerang completed its loop and landed back in his hand.

"So you're with them," said Natsu as he stood upright, the Dai Li who had been engaging him seeing this as a perfect opportunity to slink back into the shadows where they were less likely to get their face smashed in.

"I wouldn't really say that," said Toph as she got into a fighting stance. While she couldn't really see the destruction that the fire mage had caused she could feel the debris scattered across the battlefield along with the vast amount of feet running away from the danger. Clearly this was somebody she had to be prepared for.

"Trust me, we're not friends with them," said Katara still recalling the banquet a few days earlier where they had been captured by the Dai Li, if only for a few minutes.

"We don't have to fight," said Aang as he tried to play the mediator. If possible he would like to refrain from having to attack his newfound friend.

"I don't really have an option anymore," said Natsu sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, partly out of habit and partly to nurse the part of his skull that had been hit with the boomerang.

"There's always a peaceful way," begged Aang, not wanting to resort to violence.

"Aang, he attacked the army of the Earth Kingdom," said Sokka knowing the situation pretty clearly. "If he didn't manage to get away he would be arrested and possibly even executed for firebending, a skill that pretty much automatically makes him an enemy of the state. As much as I hate to admit it, he doesn't really have a choice."

"Well when you put it that way," said Natsu with a chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Toph, her stance not fading for a second.

"From before Sokka didn't even seem to have the knowledge to have figured something like this out," said Natsu causing a tick of frustration to form on Sokka's head as he realised the insult he had just taken.

"Hey I'm smart," he said trying to defend his honour but nobody really paid much attention to him.

"I don't particularly hate these guys or anything, besides the fact that their boss is an ass. Plus I prefer fighting to fleeing. That being said I could probably escape if Happy was here with me pretty easily," said Natsu knowing that if his friend was here getting out of here without causing too much damage wouldn't be a hassle.

"Happy?" repeated Aang wondering who Natsu was referring to.

"Happy's my friend, he hatched when I was just a kid," explained Natsu.

"What, is he a giant chickensnake or something?" asked Sokka, wondering just how Natsu would be able to escape the walls of Ba Sing Se.

"No, he's a flying cat," said Natsu as if it was a regular everyday thing.

"Do you mean an armadillocat?" asked Toph.

"No."

"A rabbitcat?" asked Katara.

"No he's just a plain blue flying cat," said Natsu getting slightly confused with all these random combined animal names.

"You have some weird animals back where you're from," said Sokka with a slight look of disgust upon his face.

"Happy's not weird," declared Natsu, putting his foot down angrily as he shook his fist in Sokka's direction.

"Well now that we're on the conversation of animals, have you seen a flying bison anywhere in town?" asked Aang recalling one of the reasons they were in Ba Sing Se in the first place.

"Actually..." mused Natsu as he tried to think of his time in Ba Sing Se. He tried to remember the time when he hadn't truly been himself, when the Dai Li had taken him somewhere exclusive to perform their brainwashing ceremony. He tried to remember the settings but it was as if he was reliving the memories of another person altogether. "I remember a prison or something; I don't know it's just a big blur really."

"You saw Appa!" exclaimed Aang, his voice filling with hope.

"Not exactly, I was being dragged through a tunnel or something, the only light was coming off of sealed lamps in the floor...at least that's what I think it was," said Natsu as he held his hands on the side of his head, struggling to remember the details. "Before it becomes really blurry, I just remember a noise, like a caged animal crying out in fear. It wasn't just any noise however; it was a big bellow sort of thing."

"That sounds like it could be Appa," said Katara.

"Where is this place?" asked Aang, desperate for details.

"Outside of that tunnel I was blindfolded," said Natsu recalling that part pretty well. "I did smell water though."

"You could smell water?" repeated Toph, the sound of such a thing seeming like nonsensical gibberish to her despite she herself using a completely different style of finding and locating things.

"Not just any water though, it was fresh water," said Natsu. "Sorry Aang but that's about as much as I can remember."

"No need to apologize, you have given me more than enough information, thank you," said Aang gratefully.

"Sorry to break up this whole chatty chatty friend thing," said Sokka. "But if you guys wanted a reminder that we were meant to be having a fight or something, look around." Taking up on his advice, both his allies and Natsu looked around to see that the Dai Li had finished in their evacuation of the Upper Ring citizens. Circling the five of them were no less than two hundred Dai Li agents, each of them composed and ready to fight as Long Feng stood atop a nearby building surveying the situation.

"Thank you for stalling him," said Long Feng gratefully to the Avatar and his friends. "I would have preferred if you had managed to weaken him somewhat but at least the buildings are still intact."

"If you let me break that nose of yours I'll gladly leave your buildings alone," said Natsu as his fist burst into flame, gleefully looking forward to the opportunity of caving in Long Feng's face.

"A chance you shall never receive," said Long Feng. Natsu watched with focused eyes as Long Feng swept his arm forward, the signal a clear one as the Dai Li charged forward in a unified form at the firebender within their sight.

"Bring it," said Natsu standing his ground as he prepared to fight the odds once more.

...

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Peace**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**...**

Sleep had been difficult for the members of the Gaang, their memories of the previous night still clear within their minds. For Toph who had not been able to see the battle which had raged, she had been able to feel the immense heat and pressure that radiated from the pink haired firebender. For the Avatar himself, he could not recall such a time as having seen a firebending style resembling anything that Natsu had used. Not only that, but Natsu had the tendency to shout out the name of his attacks just prior to using them, as if by doing so he was able to channel much more power into the strikes. Whether or not this was effective was still a mystery as Natsu had been able to overpower everybody who had come close to him, at least within the opening minutes of the bout.

Katara was thinking about the bout from a different perspective, that from the eyes of a healer. She had watched amazed at the display of control that Natsu had held throughout the entire battle, not once was a movement wasted. However such a state did not last long as bigger and more destructive attacks started to hit their mark. She recalled one moment where a chunk of earth at three times the size of Natsu had caught him in the chest with such force that she imagined several ribs would have cracked under the pressure. As each attack hit it's mark however, it had only seemed to spur the firebender on, as if the pain was helping him push forward and reach new heights. The strangest thing though was not the damage that the Dai Li were dealing to him but rather the damage he wasn't doing to himself. For a good portion of the battle Natsu's fist had been on fire, and not in a metaphorical sense but literally on fire to the point where the skin on his hands should have melted off the bone. Yet not once did the heat seem to faze him and Katara pondered on how much time and effort Natsu had to have put into his training in order to have so much control over something like that.

As for Sokka, his mind wasn't so much on the battle itself but what had occurred beforehand. He couldn't help but be impressed by the amount of fighting abilities Natsu had and wondered how things would have turned out had the group have confronted Natsu physically rather than with words. Yet this was pushed to the back of his mind for the moment as he considered the things which had been mentioned before Long Feng and the Dai Li had arrived. Whether or not he believed the stories about Natsu being brought up by a dragon or fighting one for that matter were true or not, he did believe the thing about Natsu having come from a different planet, or dimension, or something. The constant not knowing of things that were pretty common knowledge such as the existence of the Avatar was a pretty bug giveaway. Yet that in turn only raised more questions. If Natsu had come from a different world, then had anybody else done the same?

The strangest thing however was the way that Long Feng had acted. At first when he had seen Natsu he had played it as if the pink haired firebender was merely a lowly citizen who he had never made contact with. It was pretty clear though that Natsu knew him and after the first strike (or breath depending on what way you looked at it) was thrown Long Feng's attitude did a complete one eighty on the situation to the point where he actually stated that the two parties had already collided on a previous occasion. As Sokka scratched at his chin, he couldn't help but wonder why Long Feng would want to keep the fact that he knew Natsu beforehand quiet. The only logical reason he could think of was that the government member knew of the fact that Natsu was a firebender, but that went against everything that the man stood for considering he was responsible for the government heritage thingy or something along those lines. Yet why did Long Feng pretend not to know Natsu before the firebender went on the attack? Did he simply not want to be associated with the teenager or was there something more to it? His thoughts however were cut off as the first rays of the morning light pierced through the window and burned at his eyes, forcing his hand up to shield the sun from his sight. With the new day rising and the information Natsu had given them, he couldn't help but feel like they were already one step closer to finding Appa.

...

Natsu awoke within the dark desolate area of a prison cell, his body bound by chains of solid steel. The chains weren't the major problem however as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness of the room he could see that dozens of spikes of earth were pressed gently into the joints of his body. Natsu could tell that a single movement of his right arm would cause a spike at his elbow joint to pierce into his flesh, and if he put enough force into it maybe cripple him for life. More than enough force could possibly even tear straight through the joint and rip off a chunk of his arm, something which kept him in place momentarily.

Turning his attention to the surrounding areas he found that the accommodation was rather cramped. A steel door was all that separated him from...whatever was on the other side of the door but Natsu imagined that there were a few guards on duty to ensure he remained in his cell. It wasn't often that he sighed in defeat, but since he rather like the use of his limbs he had little option but to wait and see what fate had in store for him. By the fact that he was still alive after his defeat gave him several indications that he would remain alive for at least a little while longer, to what point and purpose though he couldn't tell. For now all he could do was wait and internally yell at himself for getting defeated like he had.

Unlike normal goons he often fought, the Dai Li fought as a cohesive unit and the result of which was a typhoon of power washing down on him. It wasn't like he hadn't fought back, more than half their number would be spending the day recovering from their wounds while the rest would likely have restless nights envisioning the monster they had encountered. Natsu's fist clenched, anger writhing inside as a menacing glare grazed his face. When he got out of here, there would be all hell to face.

...

As the day came to a close, the events that had occurred all round could hardly be called a small achievement. After dispersing flyers across the Ba Sing Se, Aang and the group had been reunited with their tour guide 'Joo De' and were less than pleased at the talking they received. One thing lead to another and they were also reunited with the Freedom Fighter Jet who they discovered had been brainwashed, and that had been where several pieces had fallen into place. Using the information that both Jet and Natsu had spoken about they were able to figure out that the Dai Li had a secret organization underneath Lake Laogai. They weren't the only ones to figure it out however.

Zuko, having found out about Appa through one of the distributed notes, found his own way of getting to Lake Laogai and once inside the hidden fortress, after some meaningful words from his uncle, released Appa from captivity before escaping. Meanwhile the Freedom Fighters along with Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph took arms against the Dai Li and Long Feng, who while reduced in number still proved a difficult task to handle.

While all this was going on however there was one other occupant within the underwater walls of Lake Laogai. Unnoticed by all, she crept along the corridors with ease after having discovered the secret entrance located above the water. She dared not make a sound, the young girl having been sent here by Guru Pathik after the Avatar had failed to show at the Eastern Air Temple. Even though she wouldn't say it upfront, she was thankful to be away from the guru as she was unsure for just how much longer she could suffer the taste of onion and banana juice.

From where the young girl was, she could hear destruction raging around her but was timid about joining the battle. She had healed after the fight with Acnologia but having woken up in a strange world had still shaken her something chronic. The sights, the animals, nothing resembled anything she knew of and without Charle by her side she felt isolated and alone, much like she had before she had run into Jellal many years ago.

Ahead, the sound of the battle faded and she couldn't help but be curious as to what the outcome was. Edging closer step by step, she found her way to an open door and peeked her head through, only to duck away as an arrow zipped past her head. "Who goes there!" shouted Smellerbee as the ever silent Longshot readied another arrow.

"Sorry, I mean no harm," said the young girl as she walked into the path of the door with her hands in the air. To say that the two members of the Freedom Fighters were surprised by the sight of a girl younger than they were would have been an understatement.

"What are you doing here?" asked Smellerbee as she regained composure, contemplating the young girl as an enemy.

"Who is it?" asked Jet, the leader of the Freedom Fighters struggling to say the words as he felt his life leaving his body.

"Is he hurt?" asked the girl as she edged closer, Longshot pulling back on his string just in case any sudden moves were made.

"Don't move any closer!" warned Smellerbee.

"I can heal him," said the blue haired girl as she kept her hands raised in the air.

"What makes you think we can trust you?" asked Smellerbee.

"You can't," said the girl, knowing the situation the two parties were in.

"What do you think?" Smellerbee asked of Longshot. The stoic archer looked at his partner for a second before lowering his bow, not a single word leaving his mouth. "Fine but if you make a single move that looks suspicious we will hurt you," warned Smellerbee as she stepped out of the way, allowing the blue haired girl to see Jet. Kneeling next to the leader of the Freedom Fighter, the young girl placed her hands over his chest, a soft green glow emitting from her palms which entranced Smellerbee and Longshot. For a full minute nobody moved before the young girl stopped what she was doing and rubbed her brow and not a few seconds later Jet sat up, his wounds seemingly gone.

"I feel incredible," said the Freedom Fighter as he touched the part of his stomach that had been struck by Long Feng's earthbending skills. "Thank you."

"No problem," she said with a smile as she got to her feet, brushing off the dirt that had rubbed onto her skirt.

"I'm Jet," said the brown haired teen as he got to his feet. "These are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot."

"I'm Wendy," said the Sky Dragon Slayer as she smiled broadly. "A friend of mine told me that I could find somebody called the Avatar here, do you know where I could find him?"

"Well it's your lucky day, because he was just here," said Jet as he walked to the wall where his weapon was still protruding from the structure. Gripping onto the handle and giving a hard yank, the weapon was pulled free and safely back within the hands of its owner. "Let's go catch up to him."

"Thank you," said Wendy giving a light bow which mildly disgusted Smellerbee, wondering what kind of high class this blue haired girl was from.

"Let's hurry, we might miss them otherwise," said Jet as he charged forward, his two companions plus the young blue haired girl following as they ran through the concrete tunnels. Looking over his shoulder, Jet looked at Wendy before focusing forward once more and while he wouldn't question it now, once they were out he needed to know just how she had healed him.

...

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Peace**


End file.
